5.4.1 Microsoft bounce: recipient rejected

What 5.4.1 means

The recipient address does not exist, and Exchange Online rejected it during the SMTP conversation.

Message text

Recipient address rejected: Access denied

Common causes of 5.4.1

• Recipient address does not exist

How to fix 5.4.1

1. Verify the address exists and re-type it.
2. Do not retry the same address unchanged.

Check your domain

Read the headers of a bounced messageRuns in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

Have the full bounce message? Paste it into the bounce code lookup and it will match the code and the provider for you. Open the bounce code lookup.

How to read 5.4.1

The second part, 5.4.1, is an enhanced status code (RFC 3463 §2) written class.subject.detail. Class 5 is a Permanent failure (5xx): the command was rejected and the sender should not repeat it unchanged (RFC 5321 §4.2.1; RFC 3463 §2).. Subject 4 is network and routing: a problem reaching or routing to the destination. The detail number refines the subject, and providers may define details of their own, which is why one code can read differently at Gmail, Microsoft and Yahoo.

Do not keep resending the same message: a permanent failure repeats until the cause is fixed. Correct the cause, then send a new message.

Official source: learn.microsoft.com. Last verified 2026-10-20.

Related guides

• How to set up MX records (priorities, null MX, migration)
• MX host does not resolve: causes and how to fix it
• Null MX (RFC 7505): publish it for domains with no mail

Related codes

• 5.4.1 Microsoft: relay access denied
• 5.4.4 SMTP: unable to route
• 5.4.14 Microsoft: routing loop
• 550 5.1.1 Microsoft: bad mailbox address
• 550 5.1.10 Microsoft: recipient not found
• 550 5.5.0 Microsoft: mailbox unavailable

FAQ

All bounce codes